Sheet metal surfacing



5 Dec. 27, 1938 I H. J. LITTLE 2,142,070

SHEET METAL S URFACING' Filed April 14, 1937 1 z v 5 0 2 o INVENTOR. HOWARD JL/TTLE.

ATTOR Patented Dec. 27, 1938 PATENT OFFICE SHEET METAL SURFAOING Howard J. Little, Fort Thomas, Ky., assignor to The Andrews Steel Company, a corporation of Delaware Application April 14, 1937, Serial No. 136,878

13 Claims.

This invention relates to surface covering units and particularly pertains to sheet metal strips or units which are of an improved construction and used as surfacing elements for covering the walls, roofs and the like, of buildings.

Sheet metal is relatively thin and flexible, and particularly so are roofing and siding units made therefrom which are of relatively large dimensions. In order to overcome this flexibility and give added rigidity and stiffness, the units are ordinarily corrugated. The corrugations may be in the form of elevations and depressions provided at spaced intervals with intervening portions which are not corrugated, or the corrugations may be in the form of complemental elevations and depressions alternately disposed across the width of the sheet. In the former type special end corrugations may be formed to provide for sealing the overlapping sides, but in the latter type, in which the corrugations are alike and uniform in size and contour, this. can not be done without affecting the corrugated appearance. Then, too, the edges of the strips are irregular and wavy so that when laid and overlapped, the overlapping margin is wavy and out of contact at various spaced intervals between the places where the nails are applied, thereby creating open spaces which give access to water.

It is the aim of this invention to provide novel and improved surface strips or units which are provided in the overlapping portions withmeans to interrupt the forces of capillary attraction, thereby preventing water from entering the side overlap as well as the end overlap of the surfacing elements composing the surface covering. The overlapping edges, particularly the lower end which provides the end overlap, may also be advantageously downwardly flexed so that when the unit is nailed in place, the edge will be held under compression and in continuous close contact with the underlap portion of the opposite end of a similarly constructed unit.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made to the accompanying drawing in which- Fig. l is a top plan view of a surfacing unit embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a modified embodiment;

Fig. 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken on line tof Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken on line 5--5 of Fig. '7;

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional taken on line 65 of Fig. 7;

Fig. '7 is a view of a section of a surfacing layer comprising two units with side edges in overlapping relation; and 5 Fig. 8 is a detailed view, partly in cross-section, showing the flexed end of the unit and the op posite end of a corresponding unit, preliminary to nailing.

Referring specifically to the drawing in which like numerals are used to designate like parts, numeral l designates a roofing unit or strip of sheet metal corrugated with elevations 2 and depressions 3, complementary with each other and alternately disposed. The corrugations are provided throughout the width of the sheet and disposed lengthwise thereof, and one longitudinal side of the sheet may be provided with a beading 4 preferably stamped on the extreme outer wall of the marginal corrugation with a recess 5 formed beneath, said beading being preferably continuous throughout the length of the sheet between the overlapped edges. While this beading has been disclosed as being formed on the right hand side of the unit, it could, of course, be formed in the same relative position on the opposite side edge if that edge were to be overlapped instead of underlapped. It may be generally described as being formed on that side edge which is to overlap the opposite edge of a similarly constructed unit.

Near the lower end of the unit another beading 6 may be stamped to provide a recess '1 on the underside, this beading being transverse to the corrugations and to the first mentioned beading. It extends from the side beading across the greater width of the-unit, terminating short of the last corrugation as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, or terminating short of the last one and one-half corrugations as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. In other words, the surfacing unit terminates with a downwardly extending portion on the side edge provided with the side beading, whereas on the opposite side edge it may terminate in a downwardly extending portion or an upwardly extending portion, whichever may be desired. In

View

. order toprovide maximum sealing protection in the unit, the lower beaded end being the bottom. However, if desired, the side beading could be formed in the same manner on the left hand side of the unit and that side edge be laid to overlap the opposite side edge of an adjacent similarly constructed unit.

The lower end of the unit is also preferably slightly flexed below the undersurface thereof in order to provide a slightly downwardly flexed end 8 which will be closely pressed against the outer surface of the upper end of a similarly constructed unit as shown in Fig. 5 when the beaded end of a unit is overlapped on the opposite end of a similarly constructed unit and the fastening means, such as a nail 8a, is driven in from the position shown in Fig. 8, where the edge of the downwardly flexed end is resting on the surface of the underlapped unit. Any number of nails may be employed to hold the units, but wherever used, they are preferably inserted at the apexes of the beading in the elevations. When the units are laid in a surfacing layer with the beaded side edge overlapping the opposite side edge of a similarly constructed unit, a groove is formed between the overlapped side edges lengthwise of the sheet as shown in Fig. 7. The groove being on the extreme outer wall of the marginal corrugation is below the apex of that corrugation and also below the apex of the underlying corrugation. Accordingly the groove is positioned to break the forces of capillary attraction before any water can pass over the underlying corrugation.

The underlying groove formed by the transverse beading on the bottom end of the unit intersects and forms an angle with the side beading, the two beadings thereby forming a continuous uninterrupted groove between the overlapped portions of the units. Accordingly all overlapped sides and end edges have the forces of capillary attraction interrupted, thereby preventing water from entering between any of the overlapping points.

While the invention has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration, it will be understood that there may be various changes without departing from the spirit thereof.

I claim:

1. A relatively thin flexible sheet provided with a plurality of longitudinal corrugations disposed along one dimension of the sheet and an elongated portion on the wall of a marginal corrugation extending in the direction of said corrugation and spaced between adjacent surface portions on the underside of the sheet, that are adapted to contact with an adjacent underlapped sheet, to interrupt the forces of capillary attraction between said sheet and the adjacent underlapped sheet.

2. A relatively thin flexible sheet provided with a plurality of corrugations disposed along one dimension of the sheet, a beading on the wall of a marginal corrugation extending along said corrugation, a heading extending transversely to the corrugations adjacent one end of the sheet, and a recess formed between adjacent portions of the underside surface of the sheet beneath said headings for interrupting the forces of capillary attraction between the sheet and an adjacent underlapped sheet.

3. A relatively thin flexible sheet provided with a plurality of complementary corrugations disposed along one dimension of the sheet and terminating on one side edge with a downwardly extending Wall of a corrugation, and a beading pressed out of said downwardly extending wall below the apex of said corrugation and terminating short of the side edge to provide a marginal contacting surface on the underside face of the sheet and to interrupt the forces of capillary attraction between said sheet and an adjacent underlapped sheet.

4. A relatively thin flexible sheet provided with a plurality of complementary corrugations disposed along one dimension of the sheet, a beading pressed out of the wall of a marginal corrugation extending along said corrugation, and a pressed out end beading extending transversely to the corrugations and intersecting with the first mentioned beading.

5. A weather surface covering composed of overlapping elements which are provided with a plurality of corrugations disposed alongone dimension of the sheet and a beading on the wall of a marginal corrugation extending in the direction of said corrugation and spaced between adjacent surface portions on the underside face to provide a marginal contacting surface on the underside face of the sheet and to interrupt the forces of capillary attraction between said sheet and an adjacent underlapped sheet.

6. A weather surface covering composed of overlapping elements which are provided with a plurality of corrugations disposed along one dimension of the sheet, a beading on the wall of a marginal corrugation extending along said corrugation, a beading extending transversely to the corrugations adjacent one end of the sheet, and a recess formed between adjacent portions of the underside surface of the sheet beneath said headings for interrupting the forces of capillary attraction between the sheet and an adjacent underlapped sheet.

7. A weather surface covering composed. of overlapping elements which are provided with a plurality of complementary corrugations disposed along one dimension of the sheet and terminating on one side edge with a downwardly extending wall of a corrugation, and a beading pressed out of said downwardly extending wall and terminating short of the side edge to provide a marginal contacting surface on the underside face of the sheet and to interrupt the forces of capillary attraction between said sheet and an adjacent underlapped sheet.

8. A weather surface covering composed of overlapping elements which are provided with a plurality of corrugations disposed along one dimension of the sheet, a beading in the wall of a marginal corrugation extending along said corrugation, and a beading extending transversely to the corrugations and intersecting with the first mentioned beading.

9. A construction member provided with a plurality of corrugations, a groove in the underside of a wall of one of the corrugations extending longitudinally to the corrugation and spaced from one side edge of the sheet, adapted when the member overlaps a similar corrugated construction member to form between the overlapping members a space longitudinally of the corrugations to interrupt the forces of capillary attraction.

10. A covering member provided with a plurality of corrugations, a groove in the underside of a wall of one of the corrugations extending longitudinally to the corrugation, a groove in the underside of the member extending transversely to the corrugations and across a plurality of said corrugations, said grooves adapted when the member overlaps a similar member to form between the members spaces to interrupt the forces of capillary attraction.

11. A covering member provided with a plurality of corrugations, a groove in the underside of a wall of one of the corrugations extending longitudinally to the corrugation, a groove in the underside of the member extending transversely to the corrugations and across a plurality of said corrugations, said groov'es adapted when the member overlaps a similar member to form between the members spaces to interrupt the forces of capillary attraction, said longitudinal and transverse grooves intersecting at a point in the wall of a corrugation between the base and apex thereof.

12. A covering member provided with a corrugation disposed along one dimension of the sheet, said corrugation having two walls meeting at the apex of the corrugation, a groove on the underside of the member arranged in one of the walls of the corrugation between and terminating short of the base of the wall and the apex of the corrugation, and forming when the member overlaps a member provided with a similar corrugation a space to interrupt the forces of capillary attraction.

13. In a construction member having longitudinally disposed corrugations, an elongated portion on the wall of a marginal corrugation extending in the direction of said corrugation to interrupt the forces of capillary attraction between said sheet and an adjacent underlapped sheet, and an edge portion of the member flexed below the undersurface adapted to be held under tension in contact with said underlapped sheet.

I-IOWARD J. LITTLE. 

